After doctors gave her only three months left to live, Erika Diarte-Carr, 33, mother of two, has started to plan her own funeral. Originally diagnosed with stage 4 terminal cancer in 2022, complications over time ended with a three-month prognosis in September 2024.
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Erika's story started when she visited the emergency room after what she thought was just a normal shoulder injury. However, doctors diagnosed her with stage 4 terminal cancer. "I hope you have a good support system at home because you're going to need it, you have a long and hard journey ahead of you," said the doctors to Erika.
Multiple tumors were detected all across Erika's body, including her bones, which explained her shoulder pain. "These last 2 years I have been silently battling a rare terminal cancer.. Small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC), a high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma," said Erika in her GoFundMe campaign.
Her Prognosis Changed
Unfortunately, her health took a massive hit in January 2024. "Unfortunately, it doesn't end there.. On January 17th, 2024, I was diagnosed with Cushing Syndrome," said Erika. This condition caused Erika a significant number of issues such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, rapid weight gain and swelling, and muscle and bone deterioration, among others.
After her diagnosis, Erika still managed to work full-time after her surgeries and other medical procedures. She later created a GoFundMe campaign on June 25, 2024, aiming to alleviate her financial burden and help her two children, Jeremiah, 7, and Aaliyah, 5. "They are my whole life, light and soul. My children are my fight and what keep me going," said Erika.
All changed on September 18, when she received a tragic prognosis. "Unfortunately, I wasn't given the best news. Due to my prognosis, I have decided to discontinue treatments as they will no longer help. I have been given 3 months to live," stated Erika in an update on her campaign. "I am faced now with the most difficult thing of planning my own funeral."
As news about her prognosis broke, almost ten thousand people have donated to her GoFundMe campaign. With an original goal of $5,000, there have been 31.4 thousand donations, raising more than $900,000.
